Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance
Series: The Dragonfly Chronicles #1
Publication Date: July 2nd 2010
ISBN: 9781601547231
Page Count: 356
Rating: ★★★
Review Copy: ARC
Reviewed by: Lynsey
Buy Link: AMAZON
Synopsis: THE DRAGONFLY CHRONICLES
Four powerful sisters, hidden through time, fighting for love and a chance to save the world.
PROPHECY
Serena Faw must shut out the barrage of thoughts from everyone around her. Her telepathic powers reveal the darkness and true intentions behind every false smile.
When her adopted brother is accused of murder, the only man who can help her is the one person she cannot read. Can she trust him with the life of her brother? Can she trust him with her heart?
Keenan Maclean is the younger brother to the new chief of the MacLeans. A dark prophecy shadows him. One brother will live wed to a witch and one will die. Keenan is raised to defend his clan and die.
Serena and Keenan hunt a loyalist murderer before the Battle of Culloden and fall in love despite the prophecy's warning that she heralds his death.
Destiny's child.
A tale of one of four magical sisters sent through time to meet her destiny in the battle against an ancient evil.
This is my second McCollum novel. My first was Captured Heart. Both have been enjoyable and both set in Scotland with a slight paranormal edge. Here, our heroine, Serena, is a telepath and seer who has to constantly defend against the barrage of thoughts of those around her. All except for one man - Keenan Maclean - who's like a silent, peaceful void to her overworked senses. This is enough to capture her attention and curiosity, but when she gets a good look at his scarred but undeniably handsome face, he captures a lot more than her attention - he steals her heart.
Keenan, too, is overwhelmed by the sight of Serena. He instantly feels like he's found his missing piece, the other half of his heart, until he realises Serena is the prophesied witch set to be the saviour of the Maclean clan - which also makes her his bother's intended bride!
The prophecy foretells that one Maclean brother must wed a flame-haired, violet-eyed witch to secure peace for the clan's future, and the other must die defending him. It was decided before younger brother Keenan was born, that the second brother would be the one to die. And so Keenan has lived under the weight of that prophecy, and the knowledge that his life was useful only as a sacrifice, for his entire life. This has shaped him. He's become an undefeated warrior, and the brother that has the respect of the clan's men. But the thing he never had, that he always wanted, was love. His parents were always too afraid to get attached to him and treated him completely differently to his older brother. They were even quite cruel at times. I thought Keenan's character was very well-written and interesting in that respect. It seemed like he was afraid of love almost as much as he craved it.
Serena, however, has other ideas about the prophecy, and absolutely no problem falling in love with Keenan. Although she finds his acceptance of his fate unfathomable and infuriating. Their relationship was sweet and believable. And the story, after a slightly slow beginning, was enjoyable and romantic. There are several obstacles to their Happily Ever After, and some political machinations to get past, but, pfft! When has stuff like that ever stood in the way of true love, hmm?
3 Stars ★★★
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Wow, I really like the sound of how Keenan's character was written. To not have love your entire life would certainly affect your psyche. And that Serena went against all Keenan had been raised to believe...well, she sounds like my kind of heroine. :) Lovely review!
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